HONEY-DEW 51 



from this family of insects as a secretion. Its presence where 

 no insects are present is accounted for by the fact that quantities 

 of the liquid are expelled by the insects from a higher point, and 

 in falling it appears on the leaves on lower levels. 



Several plants exude a sweet substance which the bees some- 

 times gather, but it is quite a different material from honey-dew. 

 In seasons of scarcity of nectar the bees will seek any sweet 

 material. At such times they are troublesome about cider mills, 

 where they eagerly fill their honey sacs with the rich juice of the 

 apple. They may even be found, at times, on decaying fruits 

 which have been broken open. The saps from numerous plants 

 when exposed by injury are freely sought. These substances 

 are not honey-dew, though they are likely to be stored in the 

 same manner. 



The plant lice, or aphids, have a remarkable life history. The 

 first generation of young to appear in spring is hatched from 

 eggs and all are females. These in turn give birth to living 

 young, but no males appear until several successive generations 

 of living females have been brought forth. As the season 

 advances males also appear and the cycle starts all over again. 



There are many different species much sought for by ants. 

 The solicitude of the ants toward the insects gave rise to the 

 old story that ants keep cows. They do, in fact, seem to care for 

 the plant lice for the purpose of securing the honey-dew which 

 they secrete. The ants also use the bodies of the plant lice as 

 food. It will thus be seen that the comparison of the ants and 

 their herds is not so far wrong, for while the liquid secretion may 

 be called milk, the ants may also be said to secure meat by the 

 consumption of the plant lice themselves. With some species the 

 ants are even believed to go so far as to carry the eggs of the 

 plant lice down into their own nests to be cared for during the 

 winter months, and to place the newly hatched aphids in position 

 on their food plants in early spring. 



Ants are not alone in their fondness for honey-dew, even 

 though they may be alone in caring for the plant lice. Many 



